ISLAMABAD: China has mobilised more than one hundred warships in whatmilitary analysts describe as the largest maritime demonstration of forceby the People’s Liberation Army Navy in recent years, sending shockwavesacross East Asia. The massive flotilla, spanning multiple aircraft carrierstrike groups, destroyers, frigates, submarines and support vessels, isconducting intensive combat rehearsals across the East China Sea, SouthChina Sea and waters near Taiwan.
People’s Liberation Army sources confirmed the ongoing exercise involveslive-fire drills, mock amphibious assaults, anti-access/area denialoperations and coordinated carrier-based air strikes. State media describedthe manoeuvres as routine annual training, yet the unprecedented scale andgeographic scope have prompted heightened alert status in Tokyo and Taipei.
Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels and aircraft have maintainedcontinuous shadowing of Chinese formations operating near the SenkakuIslands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyu. Taiwan’s defence ministryreported that dozens of PLA Navy ships and aircraft approached withinseventy nautical miles of its eastern coast, triggering full air and navaltracking operations. Both governments have lodged formal protests throughdiplomatic channels.
Western military officials monitoring the exercise noted the deploymentincludes the Shandong and Liaoning carrier groups operating simultaneouslywith the newest Type 055 destroyers and Type 094 nuclear-powered ballisticmissile submarines. The drills appear designed to practise rapid blockadeenforcement, sea lane control and overwhelming combined arms assaultagainst island targets.
The timing coincides with growing frustration in Beijing over jointfreedom-of-navigation operations conducted by the United States, Japan,Australia and several European navies in contested waters. Analystsinterpret the show of force as a deliberate message that China nowpossesses the capability to contest control of vital maritime regions inany potential conflict.
Regional capitals are watching closely for signs that the exercise maytransition into an extended presence operation. Satellite imagery showsChinese replenishment ships maintaining station, indicating the fleet couldremain on station for weeks. Commercial shipping has been rerouted arounddeclared exercise zones stretching from the Yellow Sea to the PhilippineSea.
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The deployment marks a significant milestone in China’s naval modernisationprogramme, which has produced more tonnage than the combined fleets ofseveral major powers in the past decade. Defence experts warn that suchlarge-scale, multi-theatre operations demonstrate Beijing’s growingconfidence in projecting power far beyond its coastal waters.
Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-deploys-over-100-warships-east-asia-drills-2025-12-03/
Tags: China, PLA Navy, Taiwan, Japan, Warships
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